Reflect is an approach to adult literacy that was originally conceived in 1993, fusing the philosophy of Paulo Freire with Participatory Rural Appraisal methodology. Reflect was designed to link adult literacy to empowerment. The approach is used in communities across the world, and many participants go on to engage in school governance committees, women's groups, and other kinds of political leadership roles. In 2009 ActionAid International, a primary practitioner of the Reflect approach, spearheaded an effort to develop a comprehensive framework for implementing, monitoring and evaluating Reflect. The framework, called “Counting Seeds for Change,” is now in its early stages of use on the ground. The goal of this study is to analyze and compare the degrees to which the new framework has been used in diverse settings, and to assess what strengths, weaknesses and best practices the results point to. Countries that will be analyzed include Mali, Ghana, Cambodia and Bangladesh.

Reflect circles implemented concurrently with decentralization efforts have potential to ensure that devolved governance doesn’t propagate inequities between urban/rural, rich/poor, etc, but rather provides opportunities for marginalized groups to develop their power. The “Counting Seeds for Change” framework makes possible the collection of comparable local data that can contribute to a greater understanding of how Reflect can be as effective, scalable and sustainable as possible. Primary methods include a literature review, analysis of monitoring and evaluation data collected on site, and qualitative interviews with Reflect facilitators working on the ground and ActionAid monitoring and evaluation and program staff. Results and full analysis are forthcoming.

Stafford, Tara."Literacy and political empowerment: An analysis of REFLECT implemention, monitoring, and evaluation" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the 55th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 01, 2011<Not Available>. 2014-11-26 <http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p493669_index.html>

APA Citation:

Stafford, T. W., 2011-05-01"Literacy and political empowerment: An analysis of REFLECT implemention, monitoring, and evaluation" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the 55th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<Not Available>. 2014-11-26 from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p493669_index.html

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished ManuscriptReview Method: Peer ReviewedAbstract: Reflect is an approach to adult literacy that was originally conceived in 1993, fusing the philosophy of Paulo Freire with Participatory Rural Appraisal methodology. Reflect was designed to link adult literacy to empowerment. The approach is used in communities across the world, and many participants go on to engage in school governance committees, women's groups, and other kinds of political leadership roles. In 2009 ActionAid International, a primary practitioner of the Reflect approach, spearheaded an effort to develop a comprehensive framework for implementing, monitoring and evaluating Reflect. The framework, called “Counting Seeds for Change,” is now in its early stages of use on the ground. The goal of this study is to analyze and compare the degrees to which the new framework has been used in diverse settings, and to assess what strengths, weaknesses and best practices the results point to. Countries that will be analyzed include Mali, Ghana, Cambodia and Bangladesh.

Reflect circles implemented concurrently with decentralization efforts have potential to ensure that devolved governance doesn’t propagate inequities between urban/rural, rich/poor, etc, but rather provides opportunities for marginalized groups to develop their power. The “Counting Seeds for Change” framework makes possible the collection of comparable local data that can contribute to a greater understanding of how Reflect can be as effective, scalable and sustainable as possible. Primary methods include a literature review, analysis of monitoring and evaluation data collected on site, and qualitative interviews with Reflect facilitators working on the ground and ActionAid monitoring and evaluation and program staff. Results and full analysis are forthcoming.